Illan Meslier was told to hide his anger for the good of himself and the team during Leeds United’s push for the Championship title. Leeds team-mate Patrick Bamford has revealed how he had a conversation with the Leeds goalkeeper after being dropped for the decisive run-in, telling the Frenchman to keep his clear anger to himself.
Meslier enjoyed a season of highs but also a number of lows with several high-profile mistakes costing the Whites across the campaign. Having previously defended his goalkeeper privately and publicly, Leeds boss Daniel Fark e took the decision to drop Meslier in the face of growing public criticism and speculation over the player’s role in the team.
The 25-year-old’s final game came in the 2-2 home draw with Swansea, with Karl Darlow selected for the final seven games of the season, conceding just three goals in the process.
Returning to the team for that same seven game run after a campaign decimated by injury, Bamford has spoken about the situation with Meslier and the conversation he had with him. Speaking to former goalkeeper Ben Foster on his Fozcast podcast, Bamford said: “I said to him, ‘You’ve played how many games? You’ve done your bit, there are six games to go, you’re angry, don’t show it’.
“If you’re are angry, hopefully we go up and you have eight weeks to just mull about it. He actually did all right. After the Swansea game, Illan spoke and backed Karl, and said even if I’m dropped, I’m still here for everyone.”
Meslier’s future remains in question after being dropped for Darlow, with an expectation he will move on this summer as Farke looks to bring in a new goalkeeper. Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher continues to be linked with a switch to Elland Road with the shot-stopped on his way out of Anfield this summer.
